SOCCER IN THE USA: DO WE WANT PROMOTION AND RELEGATION?

A report was re-released identifying key findings that would result if the United States adopted the FIFA standard for promotion and relegation. Given the renewed focus on promotion and relegation today, the Miami FC and Kingston Stockade FC re-released the report to provide information concerning the impact promotion and relegation could have in the United States.

As soccer fans and the sports media consider the possibility of introducing promotion and relegation to soccer in the United States, The Miami FC and Kingston Stockade FC re-released a Deloitte Sports Business Group report titled, “Professional club soccer in the USA: An analysis of promotion and relegation.”

Survey Shows 88% of U.S. Fans Want Promotion-Relegation

“By adopting promotion and relegation, as virtually every other soccer-playing nation has, the U.S. soccer system has an opportunity to build better teams, generate more fan excitement, and ensure greater financial success,” Dennis Crowley, Kingston Stockade FC Owner and Chairman said.

The Deloitte Report shows numerous benefits to introducing promotion and relegation in the United States.

In a survey of 1,058 U.S. soccer fans, 88% of fans said adopting promotion and relegation would benefit club soccer in the U.S.

The survey also showed that fans would be seven times more likely to watch club soccer on TV, six times more likely to attend live games, and twice as likely to become season ticket holders.

“The American soccer system will compete as one of the world’s greatest national soccer pyramids with promotion and relegation,” Sean Flynn, CEO of The Miami FC said. “And yes, this study was paid for by Silva International but that doesn’t diminish the substantive facts researched and analyzed by Deloitte. The report is thorough and the findings are credible.”

“The NPSL is following with great interest the claim filed by one of its 95 members, Kingston Stockade FC, and The Miami FC of the NASL with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to require the US Soccer Federation to adopt FIFA’s stated mandate to all National Federations to maintain promotion and relegation across all divisions in US Soccer,” said Joe Barone, Chairman of the NPSL.”The NPSL is supportive of the positive change this claim could bring upon the development of the sport in this country.”

“The NPSL and its members are supportive of an open system,” said Barone.

“Promotion – Relegation is the backbone of global soccer yet in the US we seem to have intentionally avoided the commingling of teams under one umbrella,” said Yan K. Skwara, UPSL Commissioner and Presidents of L.A. Wolves FC.

“I have said it before and I ll say it again, this should have been handled at the U.S. Soccer Fédération level a long time ago — but, as we all know, the federation is not going to force any hands at the top at this stage,” said Skwara

“Leagues like the UPSL want to help lead the charge with Connecting. American Soccer by instituting a live, Pro-Rel System at the lower division levels. It’s one day at a time, but we all know Pro Rel is the answer to elevate the game to the next in the USA.

There is widespread support adding knowledge meant of the benefits of promotion and alligation — even at the youth levels.

“Promotion and relegation is a universal FIFA model of competition,” said Derek Barraza, president of US Youth Soccer’s Cal South.

“It has worked well in Cal South amongst our competitive leagues, Presidio SL and Coast SL specifically,” said Barraza. “Our own National and State Cups have enjoyed success for years as a result of this model.”

“The meritorious nature of the promotion and relegation model answers the question of who is the best team,” said Barraza.

The question remains, would promotion and relegation be good for soccer in the USA — just as the sport is gaining major traction with general sports fans.

The high costs of promotion and relegation fall on the shoulders of the weakest teams and opponents often believe our young soccer system is too vulnerable to support what exists in countries where soccer has been the dominant sport for more than a century.

American sports fans are often considered fickle and abandon a team when the lose — while abroad, soccer fans demonstrate considerable more loyalty, often supporting a team regardless of relegation.

The report, originally released in November 2016, was commissioned by Silva International Investments Ltd.